Knitted stocking



Dec. 23, 1941- B. L. HATHORNE 2,267,199

KNITTED STOCKING Filed Jan. 13, 1938 PIG/Z INVENTOR Berkeley LH athome y M/j W A TTORNE Y Patented Dec. 23, 1941 KNITTED STOCKING Berkeley L. Hathorne, Hartsdale, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Berkeley Products, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York, and one-half to Edward Babigan, Lowell, Mass.

Application January 13,1938, Serial No. 184,897

2 Claims.

This invention relates to stockings and more particularly to knitted stockings, in which the transparency of the yarn is increased.

Silk stockings, as made now, are manufactured from a variety of thread sizes and knitted stitch sizes and of varying amounts of twist in the yarn. Depending on the selection of thread size, gauge, and amount of twist, stockings may be made of any desired degree of sheerness.

The most desirable stocking from the point of view of appearance is the one with the greatest sheerness. However, since a very fine thread and a fine stitch must be used, the cost of manufacturing is relatively high due to the high cost of the fine thread and the manufacturing difficulties of fine gauge knitting. Another expedient used in producing very fine threads is that of twisting the yarn to such an extent that the external diameter of the yarn is reduced. This is a very costly operation, often costing as much as the yarn itself.

In addition to manufacturing costs, very sheer stockings are disadvantageous to the wearer in that they are easily susceptible to pulls, snags and runs. Great care must be taken in handling such stockings.

It is an object of this invention to produce a knitted stocking which will have the ability to wear well, to resist runs and have cost characteristics of a chiffon or service weight stocking, but which will have the appearance of great sheerness such as'a stocking of finer threads would ordinarily have. For example, a three thread stocking without much twist can be made to appear like a two thread stocking with considerably more twist by increasing the transparency of the yarn.

It is a further object to enhance the sheerness of a stocking in such a way that certain essential properties of the stocking are not impaired. These properties are softness, elasticity, and dullness of luster, but at the same time giving the stocking a sheer appearance.

It is a further object to treat stockings to enhance their sheerness without adding substantially to the cost of manufacture, so that a treated stocking will be substantially cheaper than an untreated stocking of corresponding sheerness.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following more detailed description.

These objects are attained by incorporating in the yarn from which the stocking is made, a substance which will result in increasing the transparency of the yarn. The transparency is increasedonly to the extent of giving the yarn the appearance of reduced thread size, and

sheerness thereof, and

Fig. Zillustra'tes a modified multi-threadyarn which may be employed to create the effect of sheerness.

Silk stockings such as illustrated at 8 may be treated with an aqueous emulsion made up as follows:

Cubic centimeters Water 50 Resin (resin emulsion containing 25% solids) 50 Sulfonated mineral oil 8 The particular resin used is one of the series of acrylate resins, which are simple esters of acrylic acids having the general formula C2-'--CHCOOR ,y in which R designates the ester. As R increases, the hardness of the resin decreases. When R. contains a chain of 12 carbon atoms, the resin becomes oily in nature. Suitable resins are those having an index of refraction approximating that of the silk'yarn in the stocking and one suitable resin is methyl methacrylate having a' specific formula of C2= CHCO0H.

The stocking is treated by simple clipping of r the finished hose in the emulsion and drying.

The transparentizing treatment may be applied immediately after drying in place of the present finish, thus eliminating the necessity of making any extra steps in the process. In practice, a somewhat stronger emulsion would have to be used to compensate for the watencontained in the hose when they come from the dye vat.

Another solution for treating silk stockings is' made up as follows:

, Grams Canada balsam 3 vPine oil 5 Carbon tetrachloride 42 Canada balsam is a resinous substance having an index of refraction substantially the same as those heretofore mentioned.

The stocking is dipped in this solution and dried. Since Canada. balsam has an index of refraction substantially identical with that of silk, the transparency oi the silk is increased.

The degree of transparency can be varied according to the results desired by increasing or decreasing the amount of the transparentizing substance. In any even, only enough increased transparency is imparted to the yarn to give it the appearance of reduced external diameter, and not enough to destroy the identity of the yarn or of the knitted structure of thestocking.

Stockings so treated retain their elasticity which is inherent in knittedfabrics. The fibres are not matted down and practically no physical change takes place other than the introduction of the impregnating substance and the transparentizing eflect thereof.

I1 objectionable luster develops, it can be subdued by treating the stocking with a, small amount of delustering material such as titanium oxide or barium sulfate. Delustering may be done during the transparentizing process or after, as desired.

Stockings made of other lustrous yarns such as rayon or cotton yarns may also be treated to increase their sheerness, in each instance it being only necessary to incorporate in the yarn a substance having an index of refraction sufliciently close to that of the yarn to impart added transparency to the yarn.

In practice, a similar effect may be produced in a stocking made oi a multi-thread yarn in also which one or more of the threads l0, l2 and I4 (see Fig. 2) have been made transparent and the remaining threads are untreated. The

. treated and untreated threads are then combined .in any well known manner, as by twisting, to

produce a yarn 01 more sheer appearance than a yarn having a similar number of untreated threads.

Though several materials and solvents therejor have been referred to in detail, it is to be understood the invention is not limited thereto but may be embodied in various equivalents employing the same principle. As many substitutions of equivalents and alternative arrangements may be employed without departing from the spirit oi the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definiton of the limits or the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A stocking comprised of knitted silk yarn, said yarn being composed of a plurality of threads twisted together and at least one of said threads being impregnated with a material having an index of refraction substantially the same as the impregnated thread to render the same transparent and one being not so impregnated.

2. A stocking comprised of knitted silk yarn, said yarn being formed of a plurality of strands twisted together, one of said strands having incorporated therein a substance rendering the strands of greater transparency than at least one o! the other filaments, whereby.transparency of the knitted stocking is increased.

BERKELEY L. HA'I'HOR 

